The Lycan Prince's Forbidden Omega

Chapter 7

Kael

The only thing stopping me from ripping this man to shreds was my father.

If I killed him now, in front of the council, with Rowan watching—Father would know. He'd already suspected something in the throne room. If I confirmed it, if I showed him exactly how far I'd go for Ash, he'd use it. Either dispose of my mate sooner, or chain me to the throne with him as leverage.

So I bit my tongue until I tasted blood.

I sat there. Silent. Still. While the man who had touched my mate—who had put his hands on him, who had left bruises on that pale throat—sat across from me and lied through his teeth.

Ash had seduced him. That's what he claimed. Ash had thrown himself at the future Alpha, and when his advances were rejected, he'd attacked. The scar on his face was proof. They only wanted justice. They only wanted to take the criminal home to face punishment.

The scar wasn't f*****g enough. He should have ripped his throat out.

"Your Majesty." The Alpha spoke again, his voice smooth and diplomatic. "We'd appreciate it if you returned the wolf. We heard from Prince Rowan's men that he's being held in the palace."

Rowan.

Of course.

I'd refused them access to the territory. I'd burned their letter. So my brother had gone behind my back and invited them in anyway. His grin from across the table confirmed it. Wide. Smug. Victorious.

Well played, brother.

But no one was taking him away from here.

"Such a tiny wolf," Rowan said, feigning shock. His eyes glittered with amusement. "What crime could he have possibly committed?"

Damien—the scarred one, the one whose face I'd memorized from Ash's trembling description—opened his mouth.

"That damn sl—"

He didn't finish.

My hand was around his throat before I registered moving. His eyes went wide. All the color drained from his face, making the scar stand out even redder against his pale skin.

Kill him.

The beast surged forward, hungry, furious.

He's the one who hurt our mate. He touched him. He tried to—

KILL HIM.

"Kael!"

"Put him down this instant!"

The voices were distant. Muffled. Like they were coming from underwater. All I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears. All I could see was Damien's face turning blue.

He clawed at my hands. His smugness was gone now. Replaced by pure, animal terror. His heartbeat stuttered under my grip. His eyelids fluttered.

Good. Let him feel it. Let him feel what Ash felt.

KILL HIM.

I tossed him to the ground.

He landed in a heap beside his father, gasping, choking, sucking in desperate lungfuls of air. The Alpha knelt beside his son, one hand on his shoulder, the other raised in a fist he didn't dare throw.

"Your Highness." His voice shook with barely contained rage. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I don't like the way he talks." My voice was calm. Deadly. "So I suggest you watch your words from now on."

"And another thing." I looked directly at the Alpha. "Ash is not going anywhere."

"You can't—"

"Nowhere."

I turned and headed for the door. There was no point staying. If I stayed, someone was going to die.

"Kael." My father's voice cut through the room. "Sit down. Or else—"

I didn't hear the rest.

The door slammed behind me.

Luca was waiting outside my chambers, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"That bad, huh?"

I didn't answer. I pushed open the door to the bedroom.

"Don't want to talk about it," I said.

"Unfair," he called after me. "You're so unfair. I waited up and everything—"

I closed the door in his face. His whining faded down the corridor.

Then his scent hit me.

Ash. Everywhere. Sweet and warm and thickening the air until I couldn't breathe without tasting him. Goddess, did it do things to me.

He was still asleep.

How could he sleep so peacefully while making me fall apart like this? Heartless little wolf. Didn't he know what he was doing to me? Didn't he feel it too?

I brushed the curls from his forehead. He shifted, leaning into the touch, seeking me out even in sleep.

"What am I going to do with you?"

He didn't answer. Just moved closer until his head rested against my thigh. His breathing was steady. His face was flushed—the heat was still burning through him, turning his skin crimson. The fever the healers had warned me about.

Why hadn't it broken yet?

The air grew sweeter. His scent thickened. He shifted again, this time with a small, pained sound.

Then his eyes opened.

Hazel. Glassy with fever. They found mine and held.

A low moan escaped his lips—not from pleasure. From pain. His body was trembling. His skin was burning. And then he bit down on that plump pink lip like he was trying to hold back another sound.

It was as if he was seducing me on purpose.

But he wasn't. He was in pain, and I was thinking things I shouldn't be thinking, and—

He climbed into my lap.

Just... climbed. Like it was nothing. Like he belonged there. His legs settled on either side of my hips. His hands fisted in my shirt. And then he pressed his face into the curve of my neck and inhaled.

Deeply.

Like I was the cure for everything that hurt him.

My hands found his waist before I could stop them.

"Ash."

He didn't answer. Just pressed closer, his nose brushing my throat, his breath hot against my skin.

I was going to lose my mind.

"Ash." I tried again.

He didn't answer, and then his lips brushed my neck as he searched desperately for my scent.

Then I felt it. His teeth.

They scraped lightly over the place where a mate's mark belonged. My beast exploded.

Mark him.